MINNEAPOLIS – In the final non-conference game on the road, the IUPUI men's basketball team couldn't keep up with the high-flying and efficient offense of Minnesota , who shot over 60 percent from the field and 50 percent from beyond the arc on the way to 101-65 victory Tuesday night (Dec. 16).
Minnesota (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) got off to a quick start, jumping out to an 8-2 lead after two and a half minutes, forcing head coach
Matt Crenshaw to call an early timeout. The Golden Gophers efficient offense in the opening minutes was led by Joshua Ola-Joseph who began the game a perfect 6-for-6 with 14 points. The No. 1 team in assists in the Big Ten spread the ball around from the get-go, registering assists on 11 of 14 made field goals in the opening 10 minutes, leading to a 32-16 advantage at the under 12 timeout. Elijah Hawkins was the catalyst for the Gopher offense, tallying 10 assists in just 11 minutes of play.
Despite cooling off over the next five minutes, Minnesota closed out the final five minutes of play on a 16-7 run, including scoring the final seven points of the half. The hosts had seven of nine players that saw action in the first half score at least 5 points, led by Ola-Joseph with 14 and Mike Mitchell Jr. with 10.
On the other end, IUPUI (3-8, 0-2 HL) struggled offensively to begin the game but found a groove in the middle ten minutes.
John Egbuta and
Jlynn Counter each tallied seven points to lead the team in scoring. The Jaguars missed their final five shots of the half, allowing the Gophers to extend the lead to 57-27 at the break.
IUPUI had a much better start in the second half, keeping up with Minnesota in the first five minutes.
Qwanzi Samuels was the focus of the Jaguar offense in the opening minutes, recording six of the opening 14 points.
Bryce Monroe also heated up in the second half, scoring 12 points in 10 minutes. Despite making 11 of 16 shot attempts, the Jaguars were unable to slow down the potent Golden Gopher offense who shot over 60 percent to continue to increase the advantage.
Minnesota closed the game out on a 18- 15 run to secure a 101-65 victory. Hawkins continued to distribute in the second half, finishing the game with 17 assists to set a new Minnesota record. Cam Christie led four double-digit scorers with 19 points, knocking down a game-high four three-pointers. Parker Fox was a perfect 8-for-8 for 16 points while Mitchell and Ola-Joseph ended with 14 apiece.
For the Jags, Monroe finished with a game-high 20 points, shooting just below 60 percent. Samuels registered his first career double-double with 13 points and a game-high 10 boards while also adding four assists. Egbuta rounded out the double-digit scorers, tallying 11 points, including two three-pointers. Counter was kept in check by the Minnesota defense, held to just seven points—his lowest output of the year—on 3-of-10 shooting. He still was a factor in the offense, leading the team with five assists.
"We just have to stay together and persevere through adversity," said Samuels after the game. "We look at every game as a lesson and we try to take what we learned from the last game and apply it to the next game."
The Jaguars will now play four straight at home, beginning on Saturday (Dec. 16) against Lindenwood. Tipoff is set for noon and will be streamed on ESPN+.
